The Alice Cooper album of the Day: PRETTIES FOR YOU

[tuneylune]

Thirty years ago at a Community College, I was taking a Journalism 101 Elective class and for our "Individual Project" paper, I decided to write about Alice Cooper. The cover page had a photo of them in the sailor suits and the paper began with their birth dates up SPECIAL FORCES, with album reviews at the end. All I had for info in 1982 was the CIRCUS book, BILLION DOLLAR BABY and three scrapbooks of clippings. Got a B+ on the paper-teacher certainly not a fan, but said"The content of this is very good-Typos and other errors mar its presentation" So, for PFY-SF, will post my original review with an updated one. At the time of the paper, the mother of my stepmother was dying, I was a 20 year old virgin who tended to drink too much and was moving into my first apartment with my two best friends to get away from an overbearing abrasive Military Father. So, lots going on at the time.
Original review: As far as promising debuts go, this is about as far removed from that as you can get. The songs all tend to be rather spacy and were intended to impress Frank zappa, who was their idol. The first side is mostly a potpourri of strange sound effects, but "Fields of Regret" is pretty good. Side two is stronger with somewhat autobiographical tunes such as "No Longer Umpire" about their quest for recognition, "Earwigs to Eternity", the groups official eulogy and "Changing Arranging" dealing with Vincent Furnier's acceptance of his alter ego. "Reflected" is very good with "Apple Bush" following a close second.
Summing it all up, the album was to be completed in one night or else it wouldn't be released. Considering the speed with which they had to work, the LP isn't half bad, but it can't hold a candle to later albums like FLUSH THE FASHION, BATTLE AXE or KILLER. When I first listened to it, I was thinking "Holy S--t!! What is THIS?" It's not too bad, but is for collectors or dedicated fans mostly. **
NOW: Not really impressed with it then, but time has proven kinder and I have grown rather fond of PRETTIES. Think "Swing Low, Sweet Cheerio", "Living" and the creepy "Levity Ball" are damn good tunes as well as the songs mentioned in the original review. "Titanic Overture" would be decent music to play before the encores begin. The music has aged well with a lot of Doors and Pink Floyd references throughout-lots of keyboards with very good Glen axwork and Alice probably was winded with all his harmonica playing!
I think the LP would be stronger if "Ten Minutes Before The Worm", "B.B. On Mars" and "Today Mueller" were removed and "Nobody Likes Me" was put in their place as it fits in the autobiographical scheme of things, plus it's a funny song. Not really a great cover, but I like the Beatlesque group photos in the gatefold and that group photo with Alice wearing the dress rocks!
While it can't compare with the later Ezrin releases (my friend, The Igster, summed them up as "Having the chops, but no discipline"), Pretties is really not bad at all, but don't start your Cooper listening with it. ***

[Diane D.]

Thanks for your review, Tuneylune.

[cherrypie]

Didn't like it in the 70's, but I love it now. Amazing what the passage of time will do for you.

[Street Schizo]

Nice review. I always hated this album. But not because of the songs. I like most of them. The production was just horrendous. I couldn't believe Zappa had anything to do with this. I would have loved to have heard what Bob Ezrin could have done to these songs. Reflected was cool but Elected was capital. Too bad Fields of Regret didn't get the same treatment. By that I mean attention from a producer who cared. Zappa apparently did not.

[homerx]

Great album as Its well in the transition time.

[The son of Don Quijote]

Pretties for you features some of Alice's best harmonica work. Its quite wild and experimental album. Some vocals on this album sound very Beatles-y or at least to these ears Alice's voice is much more recognizable on Easy action. Pretties for you has some great songs but lacks in consistency. I actually like the first half of the record more. I found this record to be pretty good and very interesting one with some big production issues. You can certainly hear that the band is inexperienced and still looking for their creative wings but there is some passion and attitude bubbling beneath the surface.

Highlights: Fields of regret, Living and Sing low sweet Cheerio

[A_MichaelUK]

>Its well in the transition time.

I don't think so. The consensus is that it wasn't done with any real commercial consideration (although they actually thought it would be commercial) and was mainly an artistic statement with not too many indications of what would follow. I think "Easy Action" is more of an example of what you're referring to (for example, I think "Return Of The Spiders" is the first example of what the band would eventually evolve into).

[Ted Sallis]

Here's a link to something interesting I found out about via facebook. Does anyone have any info. re. the Unknown/Instrumental tracks supposedly on sides B and D of this?

https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/422416645

Ted

[A_MichaelUK]

From Ted Sallis:
"Does anyone have any info. re. the Unknown/Instrumental tracks supposedly on sides B and D of this?"

According to the images, there aren't enough individual tracks to take any additional stuff into consideration unless the additional stuff is part of the final track on each side, which I suppose is possible. My guess is the seller is mistaken. I compared the images with my copy and they are the same.

[Ted Sallis]

According to the images, there aren't enough individual tracks to take any additional stuff into consideration unless the additional stuff is part of the final track on each side, which I suppose is possible. My guess is the seller is mistaken. I compared the images with my copy and they are the same.

Thanks for checking and your reply. The Individual posted it in a facebook Group that Dennis Dunaway is a Member of and he asked Dennis in the post if he has any idea what the "unknown/instrumental" songs are on it.

If Dennis and/or anyone else provides any noteworthy comments about it in facebook I'll provide the response(s) here.

Ted

[Toronto Bob]

Here's a link to something interesting I found out about via facebook. Does anyone have any info. re. the Unknown/Instrumental tracks supposedly on sides B and D of this?

https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/422416645

Ted

Double album PFY test pressing with 4 instrumental tracks taking up 2 sides worth of music? That doesn't compute at all. I've never read that PFY was initially (or ever) considered for a double album release, let alone take it right up to the test pressing stage. And what instrumentals did the ACG have in their repertoire at that time to record? Lay Down and Die Goodbye and the even more cacophonous Animal Pyjamas, that's 2 of four? If legit, this would be an amazing revelation. I've never heard or read of any indication that such a thing exists.

Housed in a fully printed European version of the record. This really doesn't make sense.

[A_MichaelUK]

From Toronto Bob:
"Double album PFY test pressing with 4 instrumental tracks taking up 2 sides worth of music?"

Yes, exactly and if this were an acetate, then the description would be more credible. You have to wonder how it is that that the instrumental tracks on each instrumental side appear to be the same length as well and also why the length of the instrumental tracks is not referred to. Have they not been played? The identifying numbers suggest that whatever they are, there are two rather than four instrumental tracks. I suspect it may be another artist's or band's material.

>If legit, this would be an amazing revelation.

I agree.

[Ted Sallis]

I suspect it may be another artist's or band's material.

From Toronto Bob: If legit, this would be an amazing revelation.

I agree.

I'm also thinking that the instrumental tracks may be another artist's or band's material. In which case, of course, the 'test pressing' would not be legit.

And of course I agree w/Toronto Bob and AMUK that if legit, this would be an amazing revelation.

Ted

[pitkin88]

Dennis just confirmed it is 4 diff cuts of Goin to the River.

[Ted Sallis]

Dennis just confirmed it is 4 diff cuts of Goin to the River.

Thanks for passing on the revelation. So I wonder if it's 4 different cuts of Ronnie Hawkins performing the song (as he apparently was the performer of that song and Ain't That Just Like a Woman on the versions of the songs that appear on innumerable AC bootlegs).

Ted

[mestreech]

I think Pitkin88 was sarcastic.
I never heard any rumour or even the wildest gossip of this testpressing.
No way this is real.

[Toronto Bob]

Dennis just confirmed it is 4 diff cuts of Goin to the River.

Awwww, here I was hoping for a jam session with Floyd/Hendrix and The Doors.

Maybe it's the split release with Dylan that Shep and Joey wanted the TAKRL guys to release

[pitkin88]

I think Pitkin88 was sarcastic.
I never heard any rumour or even the wildest gossip of this testpressing.
No way this is real.

Me sarcastic?

[pitkin88]

Dennis just confirmed it is 4 diff cuts of Goin to the River.

Awwww, here I was hoping for a jam session with Floyd/Hendrix and The Doors.

Maybe it's the split release with Dylan that Shep and Joey wanted the TAKRL guys to release

The insert has a pic of the band with The Doors not sure if Bob was around that day.

[Keith1980]

This album to me is weird. Listen to the spiders and the nazz tracks the sound better then, than on PFY to me anyway.